I HAVE NEVER BEEN THIRSTIER!

      After being so terribly hot this past week and the start of the football season, it reminded me of a time when I don't think I have ever been thirstier except for maybe during hay baling times.

      At the beginning of my freshman year at Laurel Consolidated School in the late 1950's, football practice came usually during the last week in August. It seemed that that last week was always the hottest week of the summer. Or, so it seemed.

      With all that padding and then having to scrimmage against upper class-men, it was really tough. In those days or at least at our small school,(total attendance of 80 plus in all four high school grades), there was no freshman team or Junior Varsity or whatever. 

     As a wimpy 135 pound freshman, you were expected to go up against the likes of Gene Dieterman, who seemed like he was just under seven foot and weighed a whole bunch. Even though a guy named Johnny Smith was short he was, well let's just say he was heavy for his height, but,he could run like the wind and he was like hitting a bowling ball.

       Somehow I lived to tell about it. All I know is when the water boy brought out those old glass milk quart jugs filled with just plain tap water, it was sheer delight! We didn't need no stinking Gatorade!